


E for Effort

by Avistella



Series: Your Daily Life with Zen [7]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Cuddling, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Gender-neutral Reader, Light-Hearted, M/M, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 02:16:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8779186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avistella/pseuds/Avistella
Summary: You've fallen ill, and Zen who has never had a cold before, tries to take care of you.





	

Ever since you had started living with Zen, he was almost always greeted by surprises from you whenever he returned from work. A kiss, a hug, a meal, or even a funny story that happened during your day. It filled the actor with so much joy to be greeted by the one person he loved with all his heart upon his arrival. Today, however, was slightly different. Zen was surprised for sure, but it wasn't quite the same pleasant surprises as before.

"Babe, what are you doing, lying on the floor sprawled like that?" the actor slipped off his shoes and shrugged off his coat, throwing it haphazardly on the couch before making his way over to you. It wasn't the first time he's found you doing odd things or in a strange position. He slowly lifted you up, his eyebrows knitting together when he felt that your skin was warm to the touch.

Your eyelids fluttered open once Zen's voice reached your ears. You had been lying down on the couch, wallowing in your self-pity before rolling yourself off, too lazy and exhausted to get yourself back up again. The cool floor was extremely comforting too, and you refused to move. Remembering that Zen had asked you a question, you spoke, your voice coming out extremely hoarse and scratchy, "Zen, I think I'm dying." You saw panic and fear climb to the actor's expression, so you quickly added to explain, "I'm sick." It might have been an exaggeration to say that you were dying, but you truly did feel like it with the way your body refused to work the way you wanted it to.

You watched as the panic and fear dissolved away, instead being replaced by immense worry. Throughout your hazy state, you felt Zen carefully lift you up, placing an arm under your knees and upper back for support, easily carrying you to the bedroom, kicking the door open since his hands were currently occupied. Carefully, the young man laid you down on the bed as though you were a fragile piece of glass that could break from the smallest of touches.

"Zen...?"

The actor smiled softly at you, stroking your warm and flushed cheeks. "You should rest. I'll take care of everything, so you don't have to worry. Okay?"

Too tired to argue, you nodded, "Okay..."

"Are you cold?" Zen asked as he placed the blanket over your shivering form, tucking you in.

"A little," you admitted, "do you think you can give me some extra covers from the storage?"

The young man nodded right away, immediately standing upright and heading for the door. You slowly closed your eyes, hoping to get some sleep before you heard the door creak open. The apartment was small, so you knew retrieving the extra covers from the storage wouldn't take long, but still. That was _way_ too quick. Curious, you cracked your eyes open and was greeted by the sight of Zen carrying literally _all_ of the covers from the storage. All you needed was maybe one or two more, not the entire stack.

Zen dropped all the extra covers down on his side of the bed and started placing them on top of you one-by-one with a look of determined concentration. It was kind of sweet and cute, you thought, but the weight and heat was getting to be too much, so you spoke up, interrupting him, "Uh, Zen? I think I'm good now; you can stop."

At your words, Zen finally stopped his piling, "O-Oh, okay. Sorry, this is my first time taking care of someone, and I've never gotten sick before, so I'm not really sure what to do. Injuries I can help deal with, but actual colds are kinda new to me..." His cheeks and tips of his ears flushed as his words trailed off, and you couldn't help but giggle.

"You don't need to apologize," you slipped your hand out from underneath the covers, reaching out and giving Zen's fingers a small and reassuring squeeze. "Thank you for looking after me."

Zen beamed, kneeling down on the ground so that he was eye-level with you, interlacing his fingers with yours, "Anything for you. I love you so much and want you to be happy and healthy."

Your lips curved upwards into a gentle and adoring smile at the sincerity of his words. The two of you remained in that position in the comfortable silence of the room, staring at each other as you tried to convey your emotions through your eyes alone. Unfortunately, you had to break away, turning your head and giving a few violent coughs. As soon as you calmed down, you groaned and threw your head back against the pillow, frustrated and annoyed at this sickness that prevented you from doing much of anything.

"Do you need anything else?" Zen asked, soothingly rubbing the skin of your still connected hands with his thumb.

You gave a small hum, "Could you make me some soup? I want to take some medicine, but I still haven't eaten yet."

The actor nodded, standing back up on his feet and reluctantly let go of your hand to start heading towards the kitchen. "Okay, I'll be right back."

"Take your time," you told him. You didn't want to rush Zen and make him feel even more pressured. Even in your weakened state and blurry and exhausted vision, you could tell that Zen was really trying his hardest to make sure you felt comfortable. He always did give his best efforts in everything he did, but for you, he always did try to go above and beyond.

The actor left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar so that he could hear you call for him in case you needed anything else. Zen took quick strides to the kitchen before pausing at the counter. In your room, you could hear distant sounds of clattering pots and creaking cupboards. Admittedly, you were a bit worried at first, but it more or less sounded like Zen knew what he was doing. That was until you heard a loud crashing sound followed by a yelp and curse from the young man.

"Is everything okay?" you called out from your room, already sitting up so you can check on Zen.

"I'm fine! Everything's fine!" he responded, though it was obvious from his tone that everything was _not_ fine. It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself rather than you. You hesitated, debating on whether or not you really should go before Zen continued. "Don't worry; I've got everything _under control_. Just rest up, okay?"

"Alright," you reluctantly agreed, going back to lie down on the bed. You didn't want to dampen the young man's mood by dismissing his efforts. You could slowly feel a headache start to form, and you had no idea if it was because you were physically sick or if it was because you were sick with worry. You could only hope that the apartment would still be in one piece by the time you got better.

Zen stared at the bedroom door, making sure that you would stay in bed and get the rest that you needed. As childish as he might have felt, he wanted to do this by himself. Well, _close_ to by himself as he eyed the mess he had just made. The actor swallowed his pride and decided to ask for help. He then fished through his pockets for his phone, dialing the number of the person he could always rely on (aside from you, of course). "Hello?" Jaehee's voice answered the call.

"Jaehee, hey!" he greeted the young woman on the other side of the phone. "I was wondering if you could help me with something, if you weren't too busy."

Zen could hear the shuffling and rustling of several papers come from the other side of the line before Jaehee responded, "Of course. How can I help?"

The actor breathed out a sigh of relief and explained the situation. Even though Jaehee didn't make fun of him for his fumbling attempts in trying to take care of you, it was obvious from the tone of her voice that she was quite amused to see this less-than-perfect side of the actor she idolized. Zen felt slightly embarrassed, not used to this whole situation at all. Thankfully, Jaehee was straight to the point with her advice, and it was very easy to understand. Zen thanked the young woman repeatedly.

"It's no problem. Please give [Name] my best regards," Jaehee replied; Zen could hear the small smile in her voice.

"Will do."

The young man ended the call and finally got back to work. While Zen did make a couple mistakes here and there, sometimes dropping things or not quite knowing where a few of the items were, he was able to successfully finish making the soup without any further hassle. Zen stared at his creation, a small sense of pride filling his chest. He rarely cooked for himself before he met you, too occupied with his work, but ever since you came into his life, he has been making an effort to cook more, if not for himself, then for you. It filled him with joy, cooking for someone else. While the soup may not look the best, he was more or less confident in the taste, and he was excited to have you try it.

Carefully, Zen placed the bowl full of soup on a tray, along with a spoon and a glass of water. He was about to pick it up and bring it to the room but then remembered about the medicine, so he looked through the cupboards, carefully reading the labels for each bottle to determine which one would be best for you to take. The actor carefully lifted the tray, balancing everything on it as he walked over to the bedroom. Slowly, as to not disturb you should you be sleeping, Zen opened the door with his back.

The young man walked inside and was greeted by the smile he loved so much. He returned one of his own as you propped yourself up from the bed before Zen placed the tray down before you. "I hope it's okay," Zen spoke a bit abashedly, "I asked Jaehee for tips. She sends her best wishes, by the way."

"I'll be sure to thank Jaehee later, and I'm sure this tastes great," you reassured Zen as you picked up the spoon.

"Well, I _did_ make it with lots of love after all," the actor laughed, and you playfully nudged him with your elbow, giving a small snort at another one of his cringeworthy lines.

You brought your attention back to the food, bringing a spoonful up close to your lips and blowing on it to cool it down before tasting it. From the corner of your eyes, you can see Zen waiting for your reaction with bated breath. "It's good!" you exclaimed. "It's a bit salty, but it's really good!"

The actor beamed at your response, flashing you a wide and proud grin on his face as he merrily swayed side to side, similar to how a dog would excitedly wag its tail. "Next time, I'll make sure it's absolutely perfect for you."

"We should make it together next time so I can give you tips," you suggested, and Zen eagerly nodded in agreement, prompting you to laugh.

As soon as you finished eating and taking the medicine Zen had provided, the young man retrieved the tray to put away at the kitchen counter while you allowed yourself to snuggle back in underneath the covers and closed your eyes. A few moments later, you felt the bed dip beside you, so you turned to your side to face the actor who decided to lie down with you. Zen wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into a warm and comforting embrace.

"If you get sick, it's not my fault," you warned him. Despite your words though, you were smiling and pressed yourself even more against the male's frame.

Zen only laughed, stroking your hair and kissing you on the crown of your head. "Get better soon."

You hummed, feeling your eyelids start to grow heavy each time Zen's fingers threaded through your hair. "If you stay with me, then I'm sure I will."

Unable to fight the sleep that was catching up with you anymore, you allowed your eyes to finally close. Just before falling asleep, you heard Zen's reassuring voice. "I will _always_ stay with you."


End file.
